Yuma Airport Seeks Federal Grant to Land Another Airline

The Yuma County Board of Supervisors has approved a small matching grant to help the Yuma Airport Authority's efforts to get a large federal grant to try to land another airline here. KAWC's Kim Johnson reports.

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Yuma Airport Seeks Federal Grant to Lure Additional Air Service Here

Yuma County Supervisors Monday approved a twenty thousand dollar grant to help the Yuma Airport Authority's efforts to land another airline in Yuma. Gladys Brown, Executive Director of the Yuma County Airport Authority, says she hopes the Board's action will show local buy-in to the federal government of the Authority's effort to attract another carrier.

Later this month the Airport is applying for a 700 thousand dollar Small Community Air Service Development Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. A handful of these grants are awarded each year by the Department as a revenue guarantee for an airline that agrees to add routes to smaller non-hub airports.

Brown says one, unnamed, airline is willing to show support for the application, and in evaluating possible service here. But even if everything breaks right, new airline service is still years away.

GLADYS BROWN...Twenty twenty if I keep on pushing and, and showing em what our community can do. We could maybe look at some airline committing, or look at committing past the year 2020, We could be four to eight years out...:12

The airport will see expanded service from American Airlines in March. The airline currently offers flights to Phoenix, and will add service to Dallas-Fort Worth this spring. While nothing is set in stone, another airline could potentially bring new service to Denver or possibly San Francisco. I'm Kim Johnson, KAWC News.